Old Man Chen chuckled, "Reason? Who is there to reason with? No matter how you argue, it always ends up with a beating. We have a saying here: the yamen gate opens south, but if you have a case and no money, don't bother coming in. So, for us poor folk, the yamen is simply not a place for people like us!"
He then let out another mocking laugh, saying, "It's not wrong not to go. Going means losing your life, not going means you can still cling to life for a few more days, working one day at a time!"
Chen Yusheng couldn't bear to hear his father speak such disheartening words and wanted to stop him several times. However, seeing that it was rare for his father to speak so candidly, he didn't say anything else.
Listening to these somber words, spoken without ill intent, the listener felt deeply uncomfortable.
Zhao Jiaqi, upon hearing Old Man Chen's words, spoke to comfort him, "Uncle Chen, please don't worry. I believe people will quickly come to investigate such matters from above. The lives of ordinary people will get better and better. By the time your son gets married and has a chubby grandchild, your days of happiness are still ahead. Don't dwell on these troublesome things now!"
Old Man Chen remained silent, only nodding. He wished he could see such good days in the future, but he feared it would all be in vain.
At the table, a large basin of braised pork was prepared, and the remaining stir-fried dishes also contained plenty of meat. Seeing such a rich and fragrant meal, the eyes of the father and son practically lit up, emitting a green glow.
Chen Yusheng was relatively better, resisting the urge to drool. Old Man Chen, however, practically pressed his face towards the dish, his face almost touching the food. If his son hadn't tugged at him, he might have directly plunged his mouth into the pot to eat.
Old Man Chen snapped back to reality and gave an embarrassed smile, "Apologies. It's just that this dish is truly too fragrant, I couldn't resist for a moment!"
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao expressed their understanding, "These dishes are made to be eaten. I guarantee you, not only will you eat heartily today, but you will also have meat with every meal in the days to come."
"Oh, I'll be so happy in my dreams I could wake up laughing! For your lady's words alone, this old man will definitely live to be a hundred!" Old Man Chen said with a smile.
Let alone eating meat heartily every day, even eating half a jin of meat in a month would make him chuckle in secret.
His words brought laughter to everyone, but they were truly from the bottom of his heart.
After a few cups of strong liquor, Old Man Chen's chatterbox was completely opened. He spoke of the village's affairs, from the east family to the west family, who was having an affair with which widow, whose chicken was stolen by whom, where the plucked chicken feathers were discarded, which house had more mice than cats, which house had more weasels than mice. There was nothing in the entire village that he didn't know!
Zhao Jiaqi felt that the title "Old Man Chen" was truly unsuitable for him; his nickname should be "Know-it-all."
That evening, Sun Mo, the prefect of Hedong Prefecture, saw Ding Jian, bruised and battered, and his brows involuntarily furrowed. Who could have beaten Ding Jian so badly that even his own parents wouldn't recognize him?
Sun Mo glanced at his advisor, Liu Cheng, who was red-faced with anger, a subtle, unclear smile flickered in his eyes before he quickly returned to his usual indifferent demeanor.
He asked him, "Old Liu, who do you think would have dealt such a ruthless blow?"
Liu Cheng glanced at the half-dead Ding Jian, who was barely breathing, lying on the ground beside him. His eyes, filled with malice, were like poison. He said coldly, "Regardless of who it is, daring to beat an official of the court like this is enough to cost them their head, let alone killing the town magistrate. Even an ordinary peasant shouldn't be dealt with by them!"
Sun Mo lowered his head. Although he agreed with the words, it was obvious that this advisor had forgotten that he himself was responsible for many deaths. This was pure hypocrisy, where officials could indulge in arson while forbidding the common people to light even lamps.
"Then... in your opinion, how should this matter be resolved?" Sun Mo asked him.
Liu Cheng replied without thinking, "How else can it be resolved? Of course, a life for a life. Beating Ding Jian into this state, how can the culprit be spared? Send people to arrest them. Beat the men to death, then kill them. As for the women, 'violate' them first, then kill them. In short, do not let anyone go, not even a horse!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Mo's brows furrowed even more.
Yuan Xi was first beaten, then his throat was slit in front of everyone and the county magistrate. His body was then displayed on the city wall. Finally, the county magistrate was beaten into this state. He felt that this person was clearly here with ill intentions.
No... not just ill intentions, but deliberate provocation.
Sun Mo traced the sequence of events: from the town magistrate, to the county magistrate, and then sending the person to him. This process was clearly a step-by-step escalation. If he mishandled it, he might become the next Ding Jian!
No, he couldn't let this sudden person disrupt his years of enduring hardship. This matter must not involve him under any circumstances!
However, who indeed had such audacity to commit such a crime in broad daylight?
Liu Cheng, seeing Sun Mo's prolonged silence, narrowed his eyes and asked forcefully, "Lord Sun, you keep frowning and looking troubled. What, do you think my method is not feasible?"
"Oh... it's not that it's not feasible, but I just feel that doing it this way seems a bit inappropriate. How about this, you can consult the Prefect and see what his intentions are!"
Seeing Liu Cheng's expression change, Sun Mo quickly added, "Of course, if the Prefect agrees with your plan, then I have no problem. You know, in the entire prefecture, my words have never carried much weight. However... the Prefect usually approves of the suggestions I make, so..."
Liu Cheng, flattered by his praise, became a little boastful. In this prefecture, his words indeed carried more weight than the Prefect's. He didn't think much deeper and didn't ponder the implications.
"Alright, I'll go and ask right away!"
After speaking, Liu Cheng turned and left.
Sun Mo knew that he would be at the Prefect Zhao Qingsui's place all night. Taking advantage of the darkness, he would make a trip to Jianghe Town in Quyang County.
No matter how big the town was, such a shocking and gratifying event could not be kept secret from anyone. A casual inquiry in the town would reveal where the great hero resided!
Soon, Sun Mo arrived at Shangmen Village.
He barely had to search within the village to find the figures of this group. After all, the village was so poor that only those who could breathe were left. How could they afford such fine steeds? Therefore, the residence of these people must be where the assailant was temporarily staying.
Before the group could even approach the courtyard, two masked figures in black suddenly appeared at the entrance.
In the dark night, people dressed in black. If Sun Mo hadn't used his lantern to see their eyes moving, he might have bumped into them in the next step.
These were clearly hidden guards. A family that could afford hidden guards must be someone they couldn't afford to offend.
The leader of the Dragon Guard, Long Yi, asked coldly, "Who goes there!"